GREENACRES — The John I. Leonard football team will board the bus at 10:45 a.m. Friday, Sept. 18, bound for a four-hour journey to the South.
But as the Lancers travel to the Keys for their game against the Marathon High Dolphins, the normally downtrodden program is clearly headed north. As in up, up and up.
They take the trip as the unbeaten Lancers now, a stunning 3-0 after not winning a game last season.
Over the past three seasons, John I. Leonard is 1-29, including an imperfect 0-10 last season. No more are they the laughingstock Lancers.
“It feels great to win and change the narrative on John I. football," junior quarterback Caevian Miller said after a practice earlier this week. “Everybody’s been talking about us."
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With a strong running game and defense that is forcing turnovers, Leonard has posted victories over Lake Worth, 32-14, Masters Academy of Vero Beach, 35-17, and at Pompano Beach, 21-18 last Friday.
By comparison, last season Lake Worth routed JIL, 41-0, one of eight shutout losses.
“I’m not surprised at all," said star running back Latrell Johnson. “We put in hard work in the weight room and field. We faced adversity with our attitudes, so we had to change."
Johnson has amassed 257 yards on 42 carries with six rushing touchdowns. He also plays outside linebacker and has two of the team’s six interceptions, including a pick-six. (Dwyane Taylor has two interceptions and Miller also has a pick-six.)
“It’s been a bit of a buzz around campus," said coach Austin Van Es, in his sixth season after coming over from Berean Christian. “People are happier and more excited this week and this year. There’s been a lot more interest."
It is even sweeter for a senior such as offensive tackle/defensive tackle Elias Zapata after enduring all those losses.
“It feels great, it’s surreal," Zapata said. “I haven’t seen more than one victory in the past three years since freshman year. It’s even more elevated for me because I’ve worked so hard to this point for my senior year."
Stronger leadership is one of the main changes from a year ago. And now John I. Leonard has a chance to post its first winning record since 2005 when former NFL player Pierre Garcon was the star receiver.
“We’ve come together as a family and need one another," said Miller, who switched from receiver to quarterback for 2026. “Everybody listens and works hard. Last year everybody was goofing off and a lot of young kids were not listening. Everybody was immature."
Last year’s quarterback, Anthony Lopez, transferred, leaving a gaping hole. That’s when Van Es decided to make the 6-foot Miller the signal caller.
It’s been a magical maneuver. Miller is a dual threat, rushing for 236 yards on 32 carries with four rushing touchdowns. He also has thrown for two touchdowns.
“He’s a pretty good athlete and his brother played quarterback for me, so he has a good skill set," Van Es said. “He has a decent arm. We were changing our scheme to fit more around him. It was a better fit to move him to quarterback and the leadership role he’s taken on. They listen and follow him. It made sense to move him to quarterback and build things around him."
Former Leonard star quarterback Jahtavious Gayle was recently added to the coaching staff and has been helpful. Gayle played on the 2022 team that logged a 5-5 clip, the first non-losing season in 10 years. Gayle had played at Bethune-Cookman before transferring to FAU, where he still is a student.
Miller has been a gem in his new position.
“I needed to step up, lifting my team up and leading them," Miller said. “I got athletes around me so it’s easier for me."
The offensive line has kept him safe, with senior OT Chris Marcelin adding much-needed size. And Zapata, the OT, has also helped Miller with leadership.
“I got these young guys under me and I’m able to coach them up," Zapata said. “Now that I’m a leader, I’m trying to change it with the linemen and have everyone be a leader on the line, not just me.
“I tried to get them here during the summer as much as they can and make them work hard in the weight room and push them to the limit, make them build discipline."
The running game will determine whether this run of success results in a winning year.
“My receivers have done an amazing job at blocking," Johnson said. “I love that when I run outside, I’m able to get more yards. My linemen do a good job at blocking and making sure the QB doesn’t get hurt."
It hasn’t been fancy, but ground-and-pound in Greenacres. The defensive line has also notched four sacks the past two games.
The roster is at 48 players, which is stunning considering nearby Lake Worth High had to forfeit two prior games due to having fewer than 20 players on the roster.
“I like our grit and tenacity to push forward," Zapata said. “These past few games, we’ve had tough third quarters, but in the fourth quarters, we ended up pushing through, got stronger and never gave up. That’s especially what I like. We kept pushing to win the game."
Asked why JIL has not excelled at football in years past, Zapata said, “It’s the way the cookie crumbles with the zoning. Some schools get good football players, some don’t."
After all the defeats, Van Es wasn’t quite sure what he had entering July’s training camp, but he knew things might be different.
“I was thinking we had question marks here and there, but I was pretty confident in the kids," Van Es said. “They showed up all summer. We had a huge turnout in the summer. And they’ve been doing that since back in January when we started our offseason lifting. I felt confident coming in we could do well, but starting off 3-0 is a little bit of a surprise.
“It’s our maturity and accountability. Last year, a lot of our kids who were starting were freshmen and sophomores. They got a lot of experience playing and they’ve grown with a lot of work in the offseason, and now they’re reaping the benefits."
The Marathon matchup appears to be another winnable game, so a 4-0 start is not out of reach. It’s about the best turnaround story in Florida, as Van Es scheduled fewer Palm Beach County schools this season. In 2025, all 10 opponents were from Palm Beach County.
John I. Leonard also now competes in the FHSAA's independent classification, meaning the Lancers are no longer required to play district games and have greater flexibility when building their schedule. That has opened the door to more opponents from outside the county, including Friday night's trip to the Florida Keys.
“Just trying to have them take it one week at a time," Van Es said, invoking the old cliché. But this time it feels like the way to go, considering the morbid history.
“I don’t want them to start looking ahead too far and start overthinking things, making sure they maintain the level of intensity and progress," Van Es said.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Why John I. Leonard football is one of Florida's best underdog stories
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